Mack Daddy by Penelope Ward

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

There is no secret how much I admire Penelope and consider her one of my favorite writers. Everything she has is for her readers and I apreciate the effort she puts in every one of her books. She is so talented and a has a secret fountain of inspiration, full of amazing stories and characters that will surely connect with her readers.

So, another book, another adventure. I know that the saying “Don’t judge the book by its cover” has to apply all the time, but now, considering the cover that Mack Daddy has, I totally judged it as being amazing. And of course I was right 😀

We follow the story of Mackenzie “Mack” and Francesca “Frankie” and we are delighted to see their development from friends to lovers. The story is brought to us both past and present and I really enjoyed getting a glimpse of their relationship in the early stage. Initially roommates, then friends, them friends who developed strong feelings for one another, but because of the circumstance they could not express openly what they wanted. The problem was that Mack has a girlfriend, and wanting to do things right, he didn’t confess his feelings for Frankie until settling things first, to be able to love her freely. But of course faith has other things in stored for them, leading Mack to take a decision and leave Frankie brokenhearted. Now, after 8 years, Mack is back in Frankie’s life determined to get her back. Only, he is a father now and Frankie is his boy’s teacher. I know.. really twisted, but this “coincidence” is what brought them together again.

I loved the way the characters were created. Frankie was adorable and I enjoyed so much both sides of her, the past one in which she was vulnerable, insecure and kind of clumsy and the present one in which she was strong and determined. Although time passed, she was now a fine creation of both her personalities, but one thing didn’t changed.. it was her love for Mack. She opened up so much to him, showed him her fears and weaknesses and I was so taken aback on how Mack understood her and made her realise how important she is and how she should consider her more. If I come to think of it, the present Frankie is here due to Mack, because of his support and words that marked her for the better and determined her to follow her dreams.

Mack on the other hand, was extremely funny and confident, but he also had some issues that went way back. His problems with his dad caused him a lot of problems and managed to control his life. He was also a man driven by his word, so when his girlfriend became pregnant with his child, he had no use but to leave Frankie behind and give his boy the family he needed. Now, after all this years he was back for her because he loved her and considered to had lost a lot of time that could be spend together.

Although back then, they didn’t even kiss, this connection surpassed the physical needs and that is why I loved it so much. It was passion and lust yes, but not expressed. In this relationship, the feelings were deeper, the connection was intense and you could feel the tension between them. They clicked on every levels and you don’t have to be a genius to figure that out.

When a hero fails in doing a certain thing, I expect him to fight and win his beloved back. Mack did it, made it his mission to get Frankie back, even if she had a boyfriend now. There was no cheating involved, and I really felt the struggles and somehow pure despair that Mack felt when he couldn’t be around her anymore. They were so good together and Penelope brought us a story about getting to rekindle the connection and love they both once shared. Of course the scenes between them were exactly like I expected, like a volcano that just erupted and will keel on smoking for a long time.

As we all know Penelope, a part of this story will raise awareness about a certain problem a lot of people suffer from, and I admire her courage in talking about it and in a way giving pieces of advice to people that may see themselves in this situation. This mix of love, hope, second chances, betrayal and redemption was the perfect way of getting to read another amazing book from Penelope Ward.

I also enjoyed the drama she also inserted in the story, mostly at the ending chapters, but the thing that I didn’t liked was the way the culprits were not punished enough. After all the lies and deception, I have wanted more people to pay for their actions and there is where I think the writer went soft on them.

But, putting all the pieces together, I totally recommend this funny and intense book that will either make you discover Penelope or love her more than you already do.